Welcome to the PokéCommunity!

Hi there! Thanks for visiting PokéCommunity. We’re a group of Pokémon fans dedicated to providing the best place on the Internet for discussing ideas and sharing fan-made content. Welcome! We’re glad you’re here.

In order to join our community we need you to create an account with us. Doing so will allow you to make posts, submit and view fan art and fan fiction, download fan-made games, and much more. It’s quick and easy; just click here and follow the instructions.

Pokémon Sun and Moon are now available! Read our extensive Sun and Moon review at Daily!

The finale of the fourth annual Favorite Pokémon Tournament is underway in Pokémon General!View the poll and vote for as many Pokémon as you'd like. Voting is only open until the 5th of December though, so don't wait to make your picks!

> But I think the first priority is Elm. Has anybody got any ideas? How deep is it attached to him? Can Jasmine pull it off? Can Vesta burn it off? (carefully of course)
Oh- can we use a master ball on it? will that teleport it off of Elm?
> However, Rock types are weak against Steel type moves. After going through all other possibilities (and I mean all other possibilities), try using your Highly Persuasive Handgun if the polyp is still on Elm's neck.

“I meant get the coral off the helicopter, so I can get the laptop out without being eaten alive,” he tells you. “You do want to be able to finish decoding the inscription, right?”

Ah. Well. You certainly feel stupid.

Though in your defence, he didn't exactly make it clear.

> I want to ask Jasmine what she can do (Our first encounter with her left me thinking she had powers of some sort - how did she know you needed the lift sent down? Did she go and press the button then run back to her dark corner or can she control other metal things? I don't know - I could be completely wrong and deserving of one of the Narrator's quips but I'm putting it out there)

Of course you're deserving of one of the Narrator's quips, because the Narrator considers everyone deserving of one of his quips. But don't let me get ahead of myself; let's wait a minute.

“Jasmine,” you say. “Do you have any powers? Like, the ability to use Steel moves or something?”

She gives you a look.

“WHAT? WHY WOULD I BE ABLE TO DO THAT?”

“Well, y'know,” you say, shifting uncomfortably. “I mean... you knew I needed the lift, and you seemed to send it down without moving from the spot...”

“YOU LEFT THE LIFT DOWN THERE LAST TIME,” she reminds you. “I OPENED THE DOOR, YES – USING THE MAIN LIFT CONTROL PANEL UP IN THE LIGHT ROOM. I KNEW YOU WERE COMING BECAUSE I HEARD YOU. I HAVE GOOD HEARING, REMEMBER?”

“Oh yeah,” you say. “Heh. I knew that.”

You totally didn't. And she knows it.

Damn, Othodox. This is the only girl you've met who isn't made of fire. Don't screw this one up.

> Well, since everyone else spoke a few of my concerns, here's the other one: remove the coral from the chopper.

“Right.” You turn to the chopper. “There's... no way we're getting all of that off, is there?”

“I don't think so,” says Elm. “The weight has bent the rotors right out of shape, and the tail's sagging – no, I'm afraid to say it's not flying anywhere else. We just need to clear a path to the laptop so I can get it out of there. The generator's screwed now, but I'll work until the battery runs out.”

“OK.” You turn to Jasmine. “Can you rip that stuff off? You seem... strong.”
I could burn it, suggests Vesta.

“I'LL TEAR IT OFF AFTERWARDS,” says Jasmine to you in a low voice, or what passes for a low voice for her. She's smiling; perhaps she finds the way you humour Vesta sweet. You certainly hope she does. “YOUR FIRE IS ADORABLE.”

You beam at her.

“Isn't she?”

Vesta interrupts any further conversation by shooting a jet of flame at the helicopter's flank; it hits the coral and dissipates almost immediately.

Aw, she says, disappointed. It doesn't burn...

“Never mind, Vesta,” you say consolingly. “There'll be other things to burn.”

Jasmine steps forwards and brings one slender hand into the morass of coral on the helicopter's floor; it shatters with an unearthly and wholly unexpected shriek, and the rest of it seems to flinch away from her, crawling over the surface of the metal like spilled ink.

“YOU KNOW,” she says, “I COULD JUST GO IN AND PICK UP THE LAPTOP. I THINK THE CORAL MIGHT BE SCARED OF ME.”

“Well, do that then,” says Elm. “But be careful! I mean, it grew over the helicopter. Don't let it grow on you.”

She picks up the laptop and tugs out the power cord. Then she jumps back out, landing on the road with such force that she cracks the tarmac asunder.

“HERE,” she says, waving the laptop. “GOT I—”

The coral shoots up her arm—

Jasmine sighs and swats it like a fly. It cracks open and falls in chunks to the floor, waving its little tendrils madly. The remnants clump together desperately on her bicep, but she keeps brushing at it; there is colossal strength in her metal fingers, and soon there is nothing at all left but the polished steel gleam of her bare muscles.

“THAT WAS INCONVENIENT,” she says – of an attack that would have killed you faster than you could blink. “HERE'S YOUR COMPUTER, PROFESSOR.”

I think the last thing we want the coral that's in Elm's neck to do is panic. Unless the masterball works without shredding his arteries, spinal chord or larynx, I'm pretty sure there's nothing we can do for him. It's practically a bomb collar.
I suppose if all you can do is wait for elm to finish, and Vesta can't be trained without an opponent, talk with Jasmine. You don't really know her well, ask her about... things you hope won't upset her? Will her memories of her human life upset her because she's a steel zombie now? Will talk of dreams and goals upset her because she thinks she has no future? Other voices should add opinions before you try. Hopefully you should be fine as long as you don't call her a steel zombie.

What if, and I'm not certain of anything, we try to think ahead a little.
Disregarding the coral for now, although it's clearly important, what happens when the Eldritch Quilava (possibly Typhlosion by now) turns up and sets his fiery sights on the metallic body of Jasmine?

Fire is super effective, as we know, against Steel- perhaps we could try and think of a contingency plan for when he/she inevitably turns up and tries to melt Jasmine into a pile of tragic slag.

> I know the odds aren't looking good, but is there a chance that Jasmine can scare the coral off of Elm like she did when she entered the helicopter? It's a long shot, but it's worth a go.

“Jasmine,” you say, as Elm takes the laptop and checks it for any sign of damage, “could you scare the coral off Elm's neck?”

“I DON'T THINK SO,” she says. “IT WAS SCARED BECAUSE I PUNCHED IT. I DON'T THINK I CAN PUNCH THE CLUMP ON HIS NECK WITHOUT KILLING HIM.”

“Yeah, I'll vote we don't put that to the test,” says Elm. “Look, we need to get inside somewhere – I don't know if there's still electricity? I could plug the laptop in, and I think we could use the cover.”

“Yeah,” you agree. “Makes sense.” You point. “That house there should do.”

Minutes later, you are comfortably installed in the house on the hill, and, since the electricity is still on (as you proved so long ago with the TV and That Thing, Players rest his warty soul), Elm is soon tapping away at the translation programme.

> When was the last time you prayed to Tabiti? I think it would be a good idea to do that.

You mutter a prayer to Tabiti. Nothing happens, but then again, nothing usually happens right away.

> Talk with Jasmine. You don't really know her well, ask her about... things you hope won't upset her? Will her memories of her human life upset her because she's a steel zombie now? Will talk of dreams and goals upset her because she thinks she has no future?

“So,” you say, sitting down next to Jasmine. “How are you?”

“DEAD,” she replies. “NO. SORRY, THAT'S HARD TO RESPOND TO.”

“It is,” you agree.

“FOR NOW... I'M OK,” she tells you. “FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SO LONG, THERE ARE... THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE, AND THERE'S SUNLIGHT, AND...”

A mercury tear trickles down her cheek and splashes dangerously on the fabric of the sofa – but she isn't sad. She's smiling through the remnants of her lips, splintered teeth laid bare in a grin.

“I'M VERY GRATEFUL, OTHODOX,” she says. “THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR – FOR RESCUING ME.”

You blush a little; it's hard to avoid it when someone says something like that. Especially someone who shines as beautifully as Jasmine does.

“Oh,” you say, feigning indifference. “It was nothing, really. I mean – I was just – we need to survive,” you finish lamely. “As many of us as we can.”

Her smile fades a little.

“WE WON'T LIVE,” she tells you. “IN A WAY, OTHODOX, THERE IS NO ONE HERE BUT YOU. ANYONE WHO MEETS YOU CAN TELL IT IMMEDIATELY. THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT YOU... WE'RE JUST, WELL, EXTRAS. PUPPETS. YOU... YOU'RE SPECIAL.” She hesitates. “THIS IS YOUR WORLD NOW,” she says. “SINCE THE PLAYERS SPAWNED YOU,THE REST OF US ARE...”

“I don't know about any of that,” you say eventually. “Maybe you'll die. Maybe you won't. Maybe I'll die. But let's say that you do, and I do – let's say we all die. Let's say that that Eldritch Quilava tears down the wall and kills the lot of us in ten minutes.

“So we're all dead – but we're not dying slowly in a cave. We're not crying forever in darkened rooms. The sun is shining on us. The monsters have retreated. And we're doing everything we can to fix the break in the world.” You catch Elm's eye and draw him out of his blankness; once you have his attention, you turn your gaze on Jasmine. “We're being heroes,” you say. “There's no shame in dying like that. Much less than slowly wasting away in the dark.”

There is another silence. Then, without a word, Elm returns to his translation, fingers hammering the keys faster than ever.

For her part, Jasmine hugs you – extremely carefully. It's a little like being caught in a very gentle man-trap.

> Fire is super effective, as we know, against Steel- perhaps we could try and think of a contingency plan for when he/she inevitably turns up and tries to melt Jasmine into a pile of tragic slag.

Um... run, I guess?

Seriously, though. What else could you do? Shoot it with the Highly Persuasive Handgun? You're not sure, but you think that might just make it mad.

Is there anyway to make a shield out of dead coral? Because that would be dead useful against Quilava's ranged attacks. Especially, for Jasmine - can you imagine how convenient it would be if we could shape her a suit of coral? - if she was safe from his fire, she would be strong enough to fight it, probably.
OH! See if Jasmine can grab some polyps and put them in jars or bottles (empty ones) so they can become anti fire grenades!! What if you loaded it into the spratchery and shot it at Quilava!! It's water/rock with heavy defense, there's GOT to be a way to use this. Masterball? Catch what's left in the helicopter?

> Do whatever you can to prepare for an attack. The only thing I can think of is making some sort of barricade and plan out an escape route. After that try finding more food, water, lootable stuff.

You push those items of furniture you don't need in front of the door, and open the window. Then you close the curtains. That way, you're disguised from the outside, but you can jump out easily if you need to.

There is nothing left to loot.

> Is there anyway to make a shield out of dead coral? Because that would be dead useful against Quilava's ranged attacks. Especially, for Jasmine - can you imagine how convenient it would be if we could shape her a suit of coral? - if she was safe from his fire, she would be strong enough to fight it, probably.

Maybe you could, but you haven't actually seen any dead coral, and you don't want to risk putting your hand on any live coral. Besides, you're pretty sure that dead coral would lose whatever makes it so good against fire, and go back to being a rather fragile form of rock. After all, the organism inside would be dead.

> OH! See if Jasmine can grab some polyps and put them in jars or bottles (empty ones) so they can become anti fire grenades!! What if you loaded it into the spratchery and shot it at Quilava!! It's water/rock with heavy defense, there's GOT to be a way to use this. Masterball? Catch what's left in the helicopter?

You think that would break the Spratchery; it can only really handle organic matter, and the calcium carbonate exoskeleton of the coral would seriously mess with its mechanisms.

You put the 'grenade' idea to Elm, though, and he points out that the coral needs to grow on something to stay alive. Otherwise (as pointed out above) you're going to end up just throwing rocks in bottles. Which is awesomely weird, but rather pointless.

Unless you're willing to give up some of your food supply to grow the coral on inside these bottles, it won't work. Your call.

> Feed Vesta and try to train her a little more if you can. If not just rest until Elm is done. Youve been on the move too long in a consistent manner.

You break some floorboards and feed Vesta, which is much appreciated. You can't train her, unfortunately; like all Pokémon, she grows mainly by battling others, and there isn't much she can take on around here.

Since there appears to be nothing else to do, you rest, and soon find yourself asleep.

---

Down, down, down you go; you had almost forgotten about this, so long is it since you last slept away from Lugia's psychic influence, but it all comes back now, and the familiar sickening feeling grabs your stomach and hauls it down towards the ocean floor, dragging you along in its wake.
Bug-eyed fish swim past, twitching and snapping spasmodically; the water fades from blue to black, and then at last to a murky, unearthly green, as you reach the weed-strewn streets of the city that you have at last realised must be R'lyeh. Once again, you follow the Deep Ones in their flopping, graceless march towards the summit of the mountain city, floating through twisted streets lined with wall-eyed temples and hideous grinning houses; you float past statues that remind you unpleasantly of beach-buried idols, and others of five-pointed barrel-like things, always depicted beneath the feet of the cuttle-headed alien thing.

Beneath you, the Deep Ones bay, their voices booming like cannonfire beneath the waves. The thin, monotonous piping grows louder and more insistent; the buildings on either side grow larger and more spectacular; the street rises, and the chanting seems to roll straight through you.

“Iä! Cthulhu!”

And now you can actually see the surface above you, and the Deep Ones are bursting through it into the unbelievable brightness of a tropical midday, onto the beaches that have built up around a great jag of rock like the root of a mountain. Somehow, you are still floating, drifting above them; you see the gaunt black gulls that nest on the upper reaches of the island, circling like vultures; you see the Deep Ones proceeding with awful majesty to the door, vast as the face of a god, that sprawls across the island, and as they take their positions by its side with their levers you hear them cry out something in a language older even than the simian ancestors of humanity.

They plunge the levers down, and the door begins to open—

---

“Hey,” says Elm. “Othodox. I've got it!”

“Huh?”

You start awake. It is dark now in the little house, and the only light is that of Elm's laptop screen.

“I've done it,” he says. “I've completed the translation!”

“You have?” You are, all at once, very much awake. “Well, let's hear it, then!”

“OK.” He scrolls for a moment. “It starts with 'In his house at R'lyeh—'”

“Ah. Yes, OK.” He coughs. “Well, it goes on: 'The stars once were good, and great Cthulhu and his brood had their mark on the world; but the stars changed, and they could not live. Dead, dreaming; that is not dead which may eternal lie. When the stars align once more, then shall he come to a waking dream, and then shall his servants open wide the tomb-door, and Cthulhu, great High Priest of the Old Ones, shall rise to reclaim what is his.'”

“YES,” agrees Jasmine. “WERE CTHULHU TO WAKE, NONE OF US WOULD SURVIVE. IF EVERY CREATURE IN THE WORLD SIMULTANEOUSLY TURNED ON HIM – EVEN THEN, HE WOULD DESTROY THEM ALL AS CASUALLY AS YOU WOULD SWAT A FLY.”

“But obviously the stars have aligned,” says Elm. “Which means that these dreams...”

“THEY OBVIOUSLY HAVEN'T DONE IT,” observes Jasmine. “HE HASN'T WOKEN. AND IT HAS BEEN YEARS SINCE THIS STARTED...”

“You're right,” you agree. “Something must be preventing them from opening it. But the dreams... the dreams, and the time-stop, and the Unown...” You scratch your head. “There's something here, I know it,” you sigh. “I can feel it.”

But what is it, exactly? You have all the clues now, you realise, all the pieces of the puzzle – but how do they fit together? What is the Dreaming, and why is it happening?

The infection spreads. Elm is Mildly Inconvenienced.

Note: Debate is encouraged here. Please feel free to take as much time as you need.

The infection spreads. Oh Crap !!! There has to be a way to get that off elm otherwise he will die because the narrator wants it
So what's next ??? Maybe visiting the ruins of Alph ( or Goldenrod ??) ?? Maybe there is something there related to the unown...maybe an inscription on the wall of a ruin ???
And what about Lyra (?) she had made a weird call earlier right ???

Well, since Cutlerine said to debate, I've decided to put some of what I've taken note of here.
~~~
A part of the puzzle has to do with the prevails/pervades phrase.
====
Phrase
--
Call: A smell of petroleum prevails throughout.
Title/Remembering: A smell of petroleum pervades throughout.
====
Definitions
--
prevail:
1. To be greater in strength or influence; triumph: prevailed against the enemy.
2. To be or become effective; win out: hoped justice would prevail.
3. To be most common or frequent; be predominant: a region where snow and ice prevail.
4. To be in force, use, or effect; be current: an ancient tradition that still prevails.
5. To use persuasion or inducement successfully. Often used with on, upon, or with. See Synonyms at persuade.

The fourth definition makes the most sense in context with the phrase. Rephrasing it using the fourth definition in mind gives "A smell of petroleum is in force throughout".

pervade: to spread through or throughout, esp subtly or gradually; permeate

This phrase is rewritten as "A smell of petroleum is gradually spreading throughout".
====
Rephrased Phrases
--
Call Def 4: A smell of petroleum is in force throughout.
Title Def: A smell of petroleum is gradually spreading throughout.

I normally would find how the two would relate to each other, but a quick scan of the beginning of the adventure made me realize that "Lyra" was the person who gave us the call phrase (I forgot to write that down when I made that note). There was also a "Bloodstained Mail" by Lyra. Although the contents of the message are to be a bit expected, the way it was delivered wasn't.
Are the Lyra from the mail and the Lyra from the call the same?
If they are, who's blood is on the letter? I doubt it would be her's, unless she was bleeding at the time that she wrote it. It makes some sense that it could be someone else's blood.
If they aren't, then who has Lyra's PokeGear? What happened to Lyra? Could the person have knocked off Lyra, and thus it's her blood on the letter?
When was the letter written?

...Yeah, some of my notes are questions. Anyways, I think that whoever is on the other end of Lyra's PokeGear has something to do with this.
~~~
Commands
~~~
> Do you have your PokeGear? See if you can call Lyra up again.
> Also, how exactly are we going to get to Goldenrod or the Ruins of Alph from Olivine? Head to Ecruteak first, you may be able to get some protection for Elm and Jasmine because they're with you.
> Completely random idea here, but smell the air.

I actually did a little research and discovered that the phrase "a smell of petroleum prevails throughout" is what a man answered was the secret of the universe. However, the original wording I discovered was "a strong smell of turpentine prevails throughout." This probably doesnt mean anything though.

Another thing. All the talk of the Deep Ones is strictly Lovecraftian. And what the Deep Ones want is to reclaim the world they left behind. The Dreaming is a means to this end. Im not sure how.

We also have the Bad Egg. Usually, when a Bad Egg hatched in game, the game would freeze and youd be forced to restart. I think thats whats going to happen here. The Bad Egg is going to hatch and force restart the universe.

My Command to further the narrative: Check on the Bad Egg and discuss the mystery of Lyra with Elm, who may know where she is, and Jasmine.

Another point is that I've specifically mentioned the masterballs - using even one of the two - at least three times now, and every single time, the narrator sort of ignores it. I think they're important for something.

“The number you have dialled cannot be reached, because it is in existential torment.”

Huh.

> Completely random idea here, but smell the air.

It smells of seawater and burning (that'll be Vesta, you guess), and – very, very faintly – of fish and petrol, which is probably due to the Eldritch Krabby burrowing around under the town.

> Check on the Bad Egg and discuss the mystery of Lyra with Elm, who may know where she is, and Jasmine.

It appears to move occasionally. It may be close to hatching.

“Who is Lyra?” you ask.

“What?”

“Lyra,” you say. “The woman who sent me the Mail. I just tried to call her again, but there was nothing.”

Elm shrugs.

“A Trainer from New Bark,” he replies. “No one special – not particularly talented or anything. I wouldn't worry about the message in your PC, though; I think that's a spawn artefact – one of those things that always appears when a new player character is created.”

“I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS,” says Jasmine. “SORRY.”

“That's fine,” you tell her. “So we don't know who was on the other end of the line when I called her Pokégear and was told that a smell of petroleum prevails throughout?”

“Nope.” Elm shakes his head. “To be honest, I think the Unown are more important here.”

> Also, how exactly are we going to get to Goldenrod or the Ruins of Alph from Olivine? Head to Ecruteak first, you may be able to get some protection for Elm and Jasmine because they're with you.

“The Unown are definitely important here,” you agree. “Definitely. I suppose we need to get to the Ruins of Alph and see if anything's up.”

“OK,” says Elm. “How are we doing that without a helicopter?”

“Walking, I guess,” you reply. “To Ecruteak first – we should be safe there, because of the Gengar.”

“WE CAN LEAVE IN THE MORNING,” says Jasmine. “I DON'T FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD BE OUT AT NIGHT.”

All three of you can agree on that.

“OK,” you say. “So. For the time being – any more ideas about what might be going on? I know we've got all the clues.”

Elm sighs.

“I don't know,” he replies. “I think this is a player character thing, Othodox. We can't do this; we can discuss the ideas with you, but you have to come up with them.” He shrugs. “I know it sounds odd, but it's how this works. I think.”

Ignore Elms Hunger and Thirst hes dying anyway and our food supply is limited. Take a small snack and small drink, purify some water with the distillation thing I recall having and set up for the night.

Ignore Elms Hunger and Thirst hes dying anyway and our food supply is limited. Take a small snack and small drink, purify some water with the distillation thing I recall having and set up for the night.

No, we have no idea how long he is going to live, and he will be more useful when well fed. Besides, the coral is basically a parasitic organism in Elms body, parasites does not have any interest in killing their host; they want him to stay alive so they can continue to feed on him. Eat, drink and sleep, then prepare to set out in the morning.

Ignoring Elm's hunger and thirst is really really...yeah, I don't like that idea. He's still alive, and ignoring that is really cruel. So let him join and you three should eat and drink something. If Vesta's hungry, give her some wood.

Then, before you guys get some shut eye, plan on who will stay up for a few hours to keep watch.

> Ask Elm what he meant before about getting the Eldritch Quilava off your back. He appears to have forgotten and it would be nice to have that information before he goes caput.

“All right. We're not getting anywhere with this right now; let's try something else. Professor, you said you had an idea for getting the Quilava off my tail?”

“Well,” he replies, “the Steelix hasn't come back after Jasmine now, has it?”

“NO, IT HASN'T,” she confirms. “NOT SINCE I DIED.”

“So, that was my plan,” he said. “If we can trick it into thinking you're dead, then maybe it'll stop chasing you.” He shrugs. “I don't really know how to do that. It was just a thought.”

> Ignore Elms Hunger and Thirst hes dying anyway and our food supply is limited. Take a small snack and small drink, purify some water with the distillation thing I recall having and set up for the night.
> No, we have no idea how long he is going to live, and he will be more useful when well fed. Besides, the coral is basically a parasitic organism in Elms body, parasites does not have any interest in killing their host; they want him to stay alive so they can continue to feed on him. Eat, drink and sleep, then prepare to set out in the morning.
> Ignoring Elm's hunger and thirst is really really...yeah, I don't like that idea. He's still alive, and ignoring that is really cruel. So let him join and you three should eat and drink something. If Vesta's hungry, give her some wood.
Then, before you guys get some shut eye, plan on who will stay up for a few hours to keep watch.

You eat, drink and make as merry as you can under the circumstances, but you don't distil any water, because you forgot to pick the distillation device up before you jumped in the helicopter and fled Cianwood.

Sigh. Oh, Othodox. What will we do with you?

Elm will sleep all night, since he is tired from his work and the predation of the piece of Corsola; you'll sleep in the early hours of the morning, since you have been asleep all afternoon; and Jasmine will remain awake all night, because the only reason she would sleep is for comfort – and in this dream-haunted world, sleep brings no comfort at all.
> Also does Jasmine not need food and water?

She doesn't have much of an appetite these days. Nor would you if your stomach had crushed in a Steelix's gizzard and turned into a lump of manganese.

> Before heading out use the pokedex
Results:

No Pokémon found!

Huh. That's actually more ominous than if it had said it had found a hundred and sixty-five. Where are they all? Have they gone into hiding? Have they all been killed by the Quilava and their corpses dragged away to be torn apart in some rank, bloody den?

This question is not long dominant in your mind, however, because shortly afterwards the Pokédex goes bloop and turns itself off.

It would appear you have run out of battery power.

That's not a particularly auspicious start to your journey north, but there's nothing much to be done about it, so, as the sun climbs up into the sky, you set off for Ecruteak.

As you pass the northernmost buildings of Olivine, you see signs of fire; there's nothing here now – perhaps the storm blew over here and extinguished the flames – but the walls are stained black with soot, and the earth has been baked into crude terracotta. There's even lumps of gritty glass in the sand.

You don't think the Eldritch Quilava was very happy that you got away.

“Is this... Christ, is this all from that Quilava?” asks Elm.

You nod.

“OH DEAR,” says Jasmine timidly. “IT SEEMED A LOT, UM – A LOT LESS SCARY WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT IT. AND IT SOUNDED SCARY EVEN THEN.”
It's big, points out Vesta helpfully. Very big, and very fiery. Like me when I burned the flappy things.

“Golbat,” you say. “Those were Golbat, Vesta.”

Ah, she says. Gol-bat. OK.

You travel on, and the burned buildings give way to the giant molehills and pits of Route 39. You don't linger here; this is the first time you've seen this place really clearly, and you can now appreciate just how scarred and twisted the ground is. This is a place lost to nature; you are not welcome here, not any more. It is the kingdom of the Eldritch Steelix.

Further on you go, past the ruined MooMoo Farm (and while we're on the subject, do you think you could go somewhere without burning it to the ground for once? You really are a most destructive little creature); you can see the vast dome of night over Ecruteak now – the shell of the Eldritch Gengar, waiting for God knows what.

“OH DEAR,” says Jasmine, staring at it. “OH DEAR...”

“It's OK,” you say, squeezing her hand comfortingly and remembering too late that it's made of metal. “It's just the Gengar. We should be safe in there.”

She swallows.

“OK,” she says doubtfully. “IF YOU SAY SO...”

Elm's reaction is rather different.

“Mother of God,” he breathes. “That's fascinating.”

There's science for you. Show a normal man a monster and he'll run for the hills; show it to a biologist and he'll measure the length of its toenails.

Come on, crackles Vesta. We should go. The nemesis is coming.

Ah. That can only mean one thing.

“The Eldritch Quilava?” you ask.

Yes. It's in the forest, far to the north. Vesta pauses. It's running very fast, I think.

Spurred on by the thought of an unpleasantly fiery death, you cover the remaining distance to Ecruteak in record time, and soon you're within the misty grey twilight of the city once again.

Hello, Othodox.

The sky tears open; the Gengar looks down upon you.

You have returned, it tells you unnecessarily. And look... I remember you, Elm – and you too, Jasmine, though this world has been less kind to you than to the Professor. It sighs; dark winds race through the empty streets. The lesser Ghosts are watching, you can sense, but they don't reveal their presence. It would seem you are close to your goal, the Gengar continues. The dreams are getting longer.

“Yeah,” you reply. “We're on our way to the Ruins of Alph.”

Ah, says the Gengar. How singularly appropriate! In the Dreaming, of course, you would head for the Unown... Good luck to you all.

Elm and Jasmine are awestruck, staring up at the gigantic eyes above; for a moment, you wonder how it is that you're more used to this world than they are, and then you remember that normal people survive here by finding a hole and hiding in it: you are a special case. By hook or by crook, you have fought and fled and burned your way across Johto, forever one step ahead of certain death.

Not too bad a resumé, actually. 'Saving the world in the face of dire perils' is the sort of thing that impresses employers, you imagine.

Actually, thinking about the consequences of this, you also anticipate that it's going to be fairly easy for you to get laid after this as well. Girls like a guy who fights forces so terrible that no human language has a word for them.

Ask the Gengar if he/she/it can tell you anything about the Ruins of Alph.
Also, you should probably try and see if you can find supplies, food or anything useful around, since, y'know, your starter is already pretty hot on your trail...

Help

The PokéCommunity

Meta

Pokémon characters and images belong to The Pokémon Company International and Nintendo. This website is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo, Creatures, GAMEFREAK, or The Pokémon Company International. We just love Pokémon.